Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art

Gene Wilder is one of the great comic actors who defined the 1970s and 1980s in movies. From his work with Woody Allen, to the rich group of movies he made with Mel Brooks, to his partnership on screen with Richard Pryor, Wilder's performances are still discussed and celebrated today.

Young Frankenstein: A Mel Brooks Book: The Story of the Making of the Film

Young Frankenstein was made with deep respect for the craft and history of cinema - and for the power of a good schwanzstucker joke. This book, written by one of the greatest comedy geniuses of all time, takes listeners inside the classic film's marvelous creation story via contemporary interviews with the cast and crew, most notably legendary writer-director Mel Brooks.

Canada

Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

In the mid-70s, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away".

The Woman Who Wouldn't

In actor Gene Wilder's second novel, concert violinist Jeremy Webb has an onstage breakdown. After pouring water into a tuba, he is sent away to a German health resort, where he meets, and tries to seduce, the beautiful Clara Mulpas. Unfortunately, after a disastrous marriage, she wants nothing to do with men. Jeremy isn't sure what to do - but he's determined not to give up.

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox

Who but Carol Burnett herself has the timing, talent, and wit to pull back the curtain on the Emmy Award-winning show that made television history for 11 glorious seasons? In Such Good Company delves into little-known stories of the guests, sketches, and antics that made the show legendary as well as some favorite tales too good not to relive again. Carol lays it all out for us, from the show's original conception to its evolution into one of the most beloved primetime programs of its generation.

Jami says:"Awesome Memories of a Great Show!"

Audible Editor Reviews

Following the release of his acclaimed memoir, Kiss Me Like a Stranger, Gene Wilder sat down for this revealing interview with playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Here, Wilder looks at the struggles behind the laughter, candidly discussing his battles with neuroses, illness, and bereavement. Indeed, Wilder the comedian and Wilder the depressive are two sides of the same coin: His earliest comedic experiments followed his mother’s heart attack, at which point a doctor told the eight-year-old Wilder, "try to make her laugh". Wilder’s discussion of his relationship with Gilda Radner, her death from ovarian cancer, and his own battle with lymphoma, take on added poignancy: Wasserstein, much more animated here than the stoically reflective Wilder, was mere months from her own untimely demise due to lymphoma.

Publisher's Summary

Gene Wilder, one of the great comic actors of our time, discusses the art of acting, the search for love, the experience of marrying Gilda Radner, and other personal events that have shaped who he is today. Wendy Wasserstein is a playwright and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony award for best play for The Heidi Chronicles.

Despite some glaring flaws (which fortunately do not mar the other interviews in this otherwise excellent 92nd Street Y series), this is a worthwhile listen. Gene Wilder speaks very slowly and deliberately, in a way that causes the listener to realize that he is mostly unintentionally funny, that he's right when he insists "I am not a comedian," and that every beloved character he'll be remembered for is essentially himself. The stories he tells are fascinating and memorable. I won't soon forget his mother's doctor's warning to Gene when he was a little boy; what he learned about comedy from watching early comic actors; his encounter with Cary Grant; his first few meetings with Mel Brooks; his reminiscences re: working with the great Madeline Kahn; and why he ended up moving in with Gilda Radner, even though she made him feel claustrophobic and trapped.

The only drawbacks: Wendy Wasserstein's obvious speech impediment (I looked her up on YouTube to verify my initial diagnosis: Yep, tongue thrust resulting in interdental production of bilabial consonants), and her INCREDIBLY poor performance as the emcee, interviewer, and conductor of the ridiculously ill-considered and ill-planned Q & A in the final 30 minutes of the session. Believe it or not (and I found it so hard to believe that at first I thought it must be some sort of poorly executed joke), Wasserstein actually reads aloud what must have been HAND-WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE--questions which she had apparently never seen before, and which she STRUGGLES, OFTEN UNSUCCESSFULLY, TO DECIPHER AND MAKE COHERENT--and then Gene Wilder (clearly becoming as impatient and bored as the listener after awhile) struggles to answer these incoherent rambling questions. Eventually his answers become terse and far briefer than the questions themselves. For example, in the most obvious sign of interviewee fatigue I've ever heard, in answer to a question about whether he feels that many contemporary comedians lack subtlety, he responds simply, "Yes." Then, in the penultimate question, on a topic that clearly interests him (How do you know when you're really in love?), he himself, probably from sheer exhaustion, becomes rambling and nearly incoherent in his painfully unlistenable response.

My rating: Three and a half stars. If you listen, be sure to STOP WHEN THE Q & A STARTS.

Being an advid fan of just about anything Gene Wilder says should potentially disqualify me as a critic with any objectivity. However, quite the contrary. Having listened to everything I possibly can actually puts me in a very good position to make comparisons and I can honestly state this conversation with Wendy Wasserstein is pure gold! Wendy's questions are the perfect catalyst to bring out the quintessential GW. His wit and style takes you through much of his life from the brilliant karma he and Richard Pryor stumbled upon in Silver Streak to the intensely wonderful love he shared with Gilda Radnor. You laugh and cry and feel good doing both. You simply do not want it to end.

Difficult to get through. Just listened to a fantastic interview of Wilder on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and then tried this. Wasserstein's intro was cringeworthy (e.g. - incapable of calling her guest anything but both names "Gene Wilder.". Her interview did not improve on this. Love Gene. Won't ever listen to Wendy again.

I've heard Gene Wilder interviewed before; so his low key, somewhat serious manner didn't surprise me. As a matter of fact, I enjoy it. I adore and have revisited so many of Gene Wilder's performances, and I find his natural speaking voice soothing.

It was nice to listen in on this conversation. Wilder and Wasserstein seemed to be actual friends, and there was genuine affection in some of her questions. No, she wasn't a professional voice actor or interviewer; but I liked that.

Some wonderful behind the scenes and, also, personal, stories here. Some funny, some serious. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. This is one I'll listen to again.

Gene Wilder has been a beloved actor in movies I've been exposed to in childhood and later. To hear him speak with candor about his weakness for Gilda, his joys working with Mel Brooks, and his discernment of where his true talent lies was a joy.

If you buy this, don't buy the other one with the same picture: the only difference is a minor detail and the presenting intro.